Emirates is celebrating 20 years of flying to New Zealand and is celebrating with the largest schedule in the market in its history. On August 2, 2003, the airline began its first service to the Kiwi country, marked by two inaugural flights: the first via Sydney on a Boeing 777 and the second on an Airbus A330 from Melbourne.
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Over the past 20 years, Emirates has carried more than 16 million passengers between Dubai and New Zealand, with 49,000 flights to Auckland and Christchurch. The Gulf carrier currently offers 14 weekly flights to New Zealand from Dubai, with non-stop flights to Auckland and Christchurch via Sydney, all of which are operated on Airbus A380s.
Emirates‘ Dubai to Auckland service is the longest route in the airline’s network and fifth longest worldwide. Christchurch remains the smallest city on the network to which the flagship A380 operates.
In March 2023, New Zealand became the first country to operate exclusively with Emirates’ new four-class A380 on all services. The aircraft are configured with 56 Premium Economy seats, the new cabin class introduced by the airline as part of its aircraft modernization program.
The airline’s cargo subsidiary, Emirates SkyCargo, has contributed positively to the local economy, exporting food and medical equipment from the Kiwi country. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Emirates continued to operate to Auckland from Dubai via Kuala Lumpur. The Gulf carrier moved nearly 17,700 tons of vaccines and essential medical equipment to New Zealand during the pandemic.
“Over the past 20 years, New Zealand has remained an important market for Emirates, and this is clear today as the country is firmly at the forefront of our latest in-flight product. By offering Premium Economy seating on all our A380 services to New Zealand, we are able to offer travelers our best product to date, with more choice and flexibility,” said Barry Brown, Emirates’ Divisional Vice President Australasia.
Emirates New Zealand Timeline
- August 2, 2003: Emirates opens in Auckland. There were two inaugural flights on the first day, the first via Sydney on a Boeing 777 and the second on an A330 from Melbourne.
- October 2003: Emirates starts Auckland-Brisbane-Dubai service.
- July 2004: Emirates starts Christchurch-Melbourne-Dubai service.
- February 2009: Emirates’ first scheduled A380 flight arrives in Auckland.
- March 2016: Emirates launches a milestone nonstop route from Auckland to Dubai. This service was launched with a Boeing 777-200LR, before switching to an A380 six months later due to high demand for the route.
- November 2016: Emirates began operations with the Airbus A380 Christchurch, becoming the smallest city served by the superjumbo in the airline’s network.
- 2020-2022: Pandemic dedication to New Zealand, Emirates continued to serve New Zealanders and maintain its connection to the world. Services continued with a Boeing 777 aircraft flying via Kuala Lumpur. SkyCargo played an imperative role in moving goods in and out of New Zealand, including vaccines.
- December 2022: Restart of the A380 nonstop route from Auckland to Dubai.
- March 2023: Emirates reinstated its daily Christchurch-Dubai A380 route via Sydney. The launch made New Zealand the first country in Emirates’ A380 network to exclusively operate the refurbished four-cabin A380.
